Preparations for the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr in Syria’s eastern city of Raqqa are unfolding in an atmosphere of relative peace and security for the first time in years, a stark contrast to past celebrations overshadowed by terrorist control and violence.
Long a battleground among competing armed groups, the city’s markets are now filled with families buying new clothes, sweets and cookies, children play in the streets, and cafes echo with laughter, scenes once rare in a land worn by conflict.
Residents say they are enjoying a sense of safety that has eluded them through years of terror group presence and instability.
For more than a decade, Raqqa was caught in the crosshairs of the Daesh and PKK/YPG terrorist groups, which imposed strict controls that kept people away from public life and celebration. The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK terrorist group, which has waged a decadeslong campaign that killed over 40,000 people in Türkiye, Syria and Iraq. The YPG is allied with the U.S. under the pretext of fighting Daesh remnants in the region and controls oil-rich cities in the northeast.
Locals such as Mudahiye Canım say this year’s festive atmosphere feels unprecedented.
“In previous years, young people feared being detained or harassed in crowds. Now markets are full,” she said, adding that visible security forces have helped restore public confidence.
Another resident noted this was the first holiday preparation without a PKK/YPG presence in the city, with people now free to take photos and move about without apprehension. Families who once avoided crowds are now out in force, a sign of restored daily life.
Raqqa’s economic pulse appears to be reviving too: shopkeepers report brisk business as demand for holiday goods fuels activity in previously quiet squares and streets. Many note that despite some price increases, customers are undeterred, and social gatherings have taken on new vibrancy.
The shift comes amid broader regional developments aimed at curbing terrorist influence and fostering stability.
In January, the Syrian government reasserted control over areas previously held by the YPG, launching operations west of the Euphrates on Jan. 16 and later moving east with support from local tribal forces.
A cease-fire and integration deal reached on Jan. 18 called for the YPG to withdraw from Raqqa and Deir el-Zour, return public institutions in Hassakeh to state authority, and integrate YPG fighters into government security forces.
After brief clashes, a Jan. 30 agreement stabilized the truce, outlined steps to merge the YPG with Syrian state institutions, and addressed Kurdish civil rights and the return of displaced residents.
Türkiye, which has carried out cross-border operations into northern Syria against PKK/YPG terrorists from 2016 to 2019, has welcomed the agreement as a step toward Syria’s territorial unity but has expressed continued concern that terrorist networks may try to exploit the transition. Ankara stresses that the YPG must be fully disarmed and held accountable to prevent any re-emergence of threats.
Türkiye continues to maintain that the removal of PKK/YPG terrorists is essential not only for Syria’s stability but also for regional security. Officials have emphasized that areas cleared of terrorist groups in northern Syria now allow residents to live freely, move safely, and rebuild normal daily life, an experience mirrored in Raqqa for the first time in years.
